KOICA Research Quarterly Update(Q3 2026) → READ MORE
 
[Publications]

ㆍ[SDG 16] Recent Trends in International Discussions on ODA in the Governance Sector: Focusing on OECD DAC GovNet Discussion, Strategies of Major Donors, and Outcomes of International Conferences │
    Digital, Health, and Social Development Team, KOICA
This report examines recent international trends in governance ODA, highlighting its shift from a standalone sector to a foundational, cross-sectoral prerequisite for sustainable development. Amid global fiscal pressures and democratic backsliding, major donors prioritize strengthening public financial management (PFM), anti-corruption, and rule of law capacities. Protecting civil society in authoritarian contexts requires discreet, low-visibility diplomatic approaches and enhanced digital security. Donors are adopting "mainstreaming" by embedding transparency and accountability across health, economic, and infrastructure sectors. In politically constrained environments, "principled pragmatism" is applied—upholding democratic values while adapting language to local contexts. Digital transformation and AI are core agendas, focusing on both "AI for Governance" and "Governing AI" with an emphasis on data privacy and rights. Safeguarding information integrity against disinformation is also emphasized to maintain public trust in democracy. Based on global discussions, the report outlines five key directions: mainstreaming governance, supporting democratic resilience, practicing principled pragmatism, prioritizing digital/AI governance, and strengthening fiscal transparency. Ultimately, governance ODA must go beyond technical cooperation to deliver tangible daily life improvements that restore trust between the state and citizens.
ㆍ Study on Improving the Mid-term Evaluation System and Establishing Guidelines for KOICA Bilateral Cooperation Projects │Shin et al.
This document proposes improvements and guidelines for the mid-term evaluation system of KOICA's bilateral cooperation projects to address the rapidly changing ODA environment. Since existing annual reviews primarily focus on administrative checks like budget execution and merely increase staff workload, introducing mid-term evaluations centered on "adaptive management" is necessary for flexible course corrections. To minimize the burden, evaluations should be applied selectively only to projects showing warning signs or requiring strategic decisions. A mixed evaluation team of internal and external experts is recommended to ensure both objectivity and field relevance. Furthermore, the evaluation results must be mandatorily linked to official decision-making processes, such as project modifications and future budget allocations. The guidelines suggest two specific evaluation types: "response to problem projects" and "feasibility review for follow-up projects." It also introduces a quantitative scorecard and "knock-out" criteria to trigger immediate action for fatal flaws, enhancing practical effectiveness. Finally, the document emphasizes institutionalizing an organization-wide management response system to ensure evaluation recommendations are actively implemented.  
ㆍAgroforestry in the Era of Climate Crisis: Significance and Challenges│Climate and Economic Development Team, KOICA   
This policy briefing highlights agroforestry—the integration of trees with agriculture—as a key strategy for international development in the climate crisis era. Agroforestry offers nature-based solutions for both climate mitigation, through substantial carbon storage, and agricultural adaptation, by enhancing soil resilience and providing microclimate regulation. It diversifies income sources through the simultaneous production of crops and forest products, acting as a social safety net against climate-induced agricultural failures. Furthermore, it aligns well with REDD+ initiatives by addressing the dilemma between forest conservation and local livelihoods, offering a sustainable dual revenue stream that attracts climate finance. Despite these benefits, agroforestry faces challenges such as a long return-on-investment period, high initial labor and capital costs, and the technical difficulty of standardizing complex local ecosystems. Weak land tenure in developing countries also discourages long-term tree planting. To overcome these hurdles, the report recommends ODA projects to integrate capacity building, land tenure reform, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), and blended finance. By using ODA to de-risk early stages, agroforestry can attract larger private and public climate funds, ultimately achieving climate mitigation, ecological restoration, and poverty reduction simultaneously.